Phonograph-record cleaner and lubricator.



C. PALMER..

PHONOGRAPH RECORD CLEANER AND LUBRICA'TOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY e, 1915.

1,225,847. v Patented Muy15,1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES rama'zsa, or BUFFALO, new YORK.

'PHONOGRAPH-RECORD CIiEANER AND LUBBICATOB.

The object of the invention is to provide a wiping and oiling device forsound producing and receiving n achines which will propel-l lubricateand also remove the grit from. t 'e portion of the playing record whichis to be engaged an instant later by the vibrating or sound needle ofthe machine. 7

A further object is to provide an automatically operating device whichwill per: mit .ofreadily removing or replacing a playing record" on themachine, which will be strong and durable, which may be readily cleanedand oiled and which may be produced atlow cost.-

:In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fragmentary sectional elevation of aphonograph equippedv with my invention. Fig.

. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Similar characters of reference indicate.

corresponding parts in both views.

1 represents a horizontally rotatable turn table upon the upper side ofwhich a diskshaped phonograph record 2 is adapted to be removablysupported, said table and disk to be turned together by any suitableoperating means and the surface of the. record being-provided with theusual (one produc- .ing grooves, lines or indentations.-

Above the turn table is arranged. the taperingl .ton'e tube or hollowarm 2-) such as is customarily employed lll phonographs and which. ispivotally. mounted on the stationary frame, not shown, of the machine,so as to swing in a horizontal plane.

livotally connected to the forward end of said tone arm, so as to swingin a vertical plane, is a goosenerk or sound box tube 5.

which is capable of rising and falling l'rcely relative. -.to saidtone-arm. Secured to the forward end of said gooseneck is a sound box 1of the usual and well .known form and on one side of-this boxis mounteda diapl'iragm Specification of Letters Patent.

6.- Pivoted on the lower part of said sound box is a vibrating lever 7which is'operatively associated at its upper end with said diaphragm.

Detachably secured to the lower part of said lever 7 is a tracing needle8 whose lower pointed end is adapted to engage with the sound groovesthat are arranged spirally in the upper surface of the phonograph record2. As the tone arm 3 is gradually carried across over the upper side ofsaid phonograph record, the tracing needle engages with the soundgroovesof the record. 'Ilhe foregoing parts may all be of usual and wellknown construction and my improveerably constructed as 'follows Mountedon the lower rear portion of the sound box is a vertically depending lug'9 which is preferably arrangedlongitudinally in line with the needleand which is rovided with an external screw thread at its lower end.vMounted upon said lug is a guide sleeve 10 provided on the-upper partof its bore with an internal screw thread engaging with said thread ofthe lug 9. The lower end of said sleeve is provided with a horizontalhead 11 having a vertical guide opening 12. Moving loosely up and downin said opening is the stem 13 of a plunger which is provided at itsupper end with a head 14:. The plunger is yieldingly forced downwardlyby a vertical compression spring 15 interposed between the upper side ofthe head 14 and the lower face of the depending lug 8. Onto the lowerend of the plungerstem 13 is screwed a supporting shoe 16 whose lowersurface is provided with a pad or "wiper 17 of felt or other softmaterial 'Patented May 15, 1917 Application filed May 6, I916. Serial.No. 95,899.

which in the operative position of the sound As the phonogruph'playingrecord rotatesv with its turn table, the felt wiper 17 will brush oilthe grit and dust from the record in advance of the needle. This pad ispreferably soaked with a suitable lubricating oil or'substamw. so astgplubricate the grooved surface of the record as the pad rests'upon thelatter while in ,motion. By this means the record is not only cleanedbut the wear on the same is reduced to a minimum and theobiectionablenoisecaused by the friction of the constant rubbing of theneedle against the movingfaee .of the record inateriallylessened. Itwill. be'noted that the compression spring 15 relieves the needle of alarge part the dead Wei ht of the sound box 4 so that the wear of t eneedle on the record is still more reduced. Such a cleaning andlubricating device is not confined, of course, to a disk phonograph orto any one type of disk phonographs but may be 'used on any .soundapparatus where a needle moves in the sound groove of an impressionrecord, theone' relatively to the other. Furthermore, the cleaner andlubricator may be otherwise supported although in the preferredconstruction shown, the cleaning and oiling of the felt pad is mostconvenient by reason of the fact that it may be readily thrown back withthe sound box so as to present the lower rubbingsurface of the pad orwiper upwardly.

By loosely fitting the plunger or guide rod in theguide .sleeve andinterposing a 5 ring between the plunger and sound box the pad canswivel or tilt and change its position for adapting the same to thesurface of records which may vary in thickness and the pad can also hearyieldin ly a ainlt the record and accommodate itse f to e length of theneedle resting on the record.

I'clairn as my invention:

I A phonographcomprising a needle adapted to engage a record, a soundbox on which said needle is mounted. and a cleaning device mounted onsaid box and comprising av supporting lug depending from the box andprovided with a .screw thread, a guide slee"e having a thread at itsufpperend which engages with the thread 0 said lug provided with a guideopening, a plunger having a guide rod arranged in said opening and ahead at its-upper end arranged in said sleeve, :1 spring arranged insaid sleeve between said head and said lug, and a shoe having a screwconnection with the lower end of said rod and provided on its underside'with a feltpad adapted to rest on said record.

CHARLES PALMER.

and having a head at its lower end which is

